Trooper stops man, 87, after 11 miles against traffic on Pike

An 87-year-old Connecticut man drove the wrong way on the Massachusetts Turnpike for about 11 miles late Sunday night before state Trooper Darren Specht was able to stop him.

“Trooper Specht did a fantastic job pulling him over,” said Sgt. Mark Courtois of the Charlton barracks of the state police.

State police had received several calls reporting the wrong-way driver.

Thaddeus Satkowski, 87, of Staffordville, Conn., got on at Exit 10 of the Mass. Pike in Auburn around 11:30 p.m. and drove east in the westbound lanes, in the shoulder next to the high-speed lane, for about 11 miles, state police said. He made it to Grafton before he heeded Trooper Specht's signals to pull over.

Trooper Specht drove east, parallel to the wrong-way driver, on the eastbound side of the highway until he was able to get his attention.

Mr. Satkowski was not cited, according to state police.

“We moved to have his license revoked immediately,” said Trooper Richard Mahoney of the Weston barracks. He said state police contacted the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles.

Ernie Bertothy, a spokesman for the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles, said Mr. Satkowski has a valid Connecticut driver's license and no prior violations or citations on his driving record.

Contact Linda Bock via email at lbock@telegram.com and follow her on Twitter @LindaBockTG

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